Yu Hai Zhen added: “No tricks!”

Chen Da Chang was wounded on his arm, and the bleeding had not yet completely stopped. The little monkey tilted its head, staring at him, hoping he would refuse its help. To its surprise, the man coldly looked at it and extended his arm forward.

Was he so trusting? Wasn’t he afraid the monkey might put poison in the medicine?

Hu Tian scratched its head and had no choice but to genuinely help stop the bleeding, apply medicine, and bandage the wound. Despite its clumsy appearance, it was skilled in this area. During Yu Hai Zhen’s two days of escape, it had treated her wounds as well.

This was precisely why Yu Hai Zhen wanted to make amends through practical action. Chen Da Chang’s acceptance signified that he had accepted her apology. Thinking of this, Yu Hai Zhen glanced at him, only to see his eyelids lowered, as if detached from the situation.

Since the Queen of New Xia had arrived, he had become even more silent.

Yu Hai Zhen shifted her gaze, only to find Feng Miao Jun smiling at her, with eyes so bright that she felt somewhat uncomfortable.

She cleared her throat lightly before saying: “What brings the Wei State Preceptor and Queen Chang Le so far to visit?” Since Chen Da Chang’s “companion” was a sovereign ruler, her purpose for this journey must be significant. Now that the Xi Kingdom no longer existed, she wondered if Queen Chang Le’s intentions had already been thwarted.

Speaking of which, Wei State Preceptor Yun Ya’s whereabouts had always been elusive, so why would he suddenly appear together with the Queen of New Xia? Being naturally observant, she noticed from their gestures and gazes that their relationship couldn’t simply be described as “familiar.”

Yun Ya had found the most comfortable spot upon entering and sat leaning back. Now he smiled and said: “I come by my king’s command. With Xi’s fate sealed, my king worries that Princess Yu might perish with it needlessly.” At this point, he changed his tone, “Now that Xi is gone, what do you plan to do?”

“I am no longer the State Preceptor,” Yu Hai Zhen said with unavoidable sadness. She had devoted the first half of her life to Xi, and now that she had no one to serve, where would she go?

Yun Ya spoke deliberately: “If you are willing to return with me to Great Wei, my king will welcome you as his empress!” After Yu Hai Zhen was adopted by the Xi royal family and sent to train under the State Preceptor, she was also given the title of princess, named “Yu.” Now that she was no longer State Preceptor, Yun Ya reverted to calling her by her bestowed title.

At these words, not only Yu Hai Zhen but even Feng Miao Jun’s phoenix eyes widened slightly. She thought secretly that Xiao Yan had made a major investment, intending to make Yu Hai Zhen his empress!

Yun Ya had once mentioned that Xiao Yan had been infatuated with Yu Hai Zhen since childhood. She had thought it was just a youthful sentiment that would fade when the prince became king. She hadn’t expected that Xiao Yan would still be thinking of the former Xi State Preceptor at this point, and would take the opportunity to marry her.

The honor of becoming empress—how many women could resist such temptation?

Yu Hai Zhen was also stunned for a moment before lifting her cup to take a sip of cold water:

“I have been married before, and have long been a widow.” The water was cold, just like her heart.

She had married the former court general in her teens, and her husband died on the battlefield a few years later.

That was a long time ago as if it had happened in a previous life. She spoke of it with a calm expression, as if it had nothing to do with her. Only then did Chen Da Chang’s gaze turn toward her.

She was being very practical. Under heaven, which sovereign considering an empress doesn’t investigate for purity and a clean background?

How could a widow qualify for such a position? Everyone present could imagine the shock that would ripple through the court and country if Xiao Yan truly announced this. What did it matter that Yu Hai Zhen was once the Xi State Preceptor? Her nation was gone and with it her background. At most, she was just a powerful cultivator, without any foundation in Wei.

“Princess Yu need not worry,” Yun Ya said as if he had anticipated her response. “My king says what he means and does what he says.”

After defeating An Xia and Yao Kingdom, Great Wei became a universally recognized power, and Xiao Yan was the dominant ruler of the Northern Continent. After two rounds of internal reforms, power in Wei was increasingly concentrated in the king’s hands. The playful, smiling Xiao Yan that Feng Miao Jun remembered had long since become someone whose word was law.

His chosen people, his decided matters—the royal court had the right to object but couldn’t decide for him.

Just like the Yan King.

That’s why Yun Ya had the confidence to say these words.

“I understand,” Yu Hai Zhen’s voice was as flat as water, revealing no emotion. “And Queen Chang Le, what brings you here?”

Feng Miao Jun sighed: “I’d also like to be generous, but I can’t offer the position of empress.”

Being a woman herself, and having no romantic interest in the same sex, she couldn’t take a wife.

A glint of amusement flashed in Yu Hai Zhen’s eyes, and the corners of her mouth turned up slightly. She looked at Yun Ya, then at Feng Miao Jun: “I thought you two were together.” She hadn’t expected that they each had their agenda, both wanting to recruit her.

Feng Miao Jun immediately replied without thinking: “We merely happened to travel together.”

She dismissed it cleanly, while Yun Ya, supporting his chin, added: “For about three to five days.”

So these two had been together for the past few days? As Yu Hai Zhen pondered this, she heard Feng Miao Jun continue:

“Therefore, I can only offer the position of State Preceptor. I wonder if Madam Yu is interested?”

New Xia wanted to invite her to be the State Preceptor. Yu Hai Zhen’s gaze focused slightly, not missing that Feng Miao Jun had addressed her as “Madam.”

How many years had it been since anyone had addressed her this way?

“If I remember correctly, New Xia recently removed the State Preceptor.” The power struggle involving the Fu Ling Chuan siblings was known throughout the northern and southern continents. Although she had been busy with Xi’s internal affairs, she had heard about it. In the end, Fu Ling Chuan was defeated in that power struggle, stripped of his position as State Preceptor, and made a minister of state affairs.

Around the position of State Preceptor, there had been unseen bloodshed.

“Fu Ling Chuan excels in his role as minister of state affairs, where he can better use his talents,” Feng Miao Jun crossed her arms over her chest, her face serene. “What I removed was not his position as State Preceptor, but his ambition.”

She looked at Yu Hai Zhen with a slight smile: “Power and status gradually blind people. Madam Yu served as State Preceptor for over a decade, watching the Xi King grow from childhood to adulthood, yet never harbored disloyal thoughts. In this, Chang Le greatly admires you.”

Yu Hai Zhen’s regency and military command had only been a matter of the last half-year. The Xi King was incompetent, unable to manage internal affairs or foreign relations, so he had to hand everything over to his aunt. Yet he would always jump out at critical moments to meddle and hinder progress. Feng Miao Jun asked herself, if she were in Yu Hai Zhen’s position, she probably couldn’t guarantee that she wouldn’t have eliminated this widely disliked person with one strike, taken the throne herself, and made more decisive judgments.

Especially with the country in such a ruinous state.

But Yu Hai Zhen had not done so. She had always carefully maintained the boundary between herself and royal power, fulfilling her duty as State Preceptor until the very end.

Feng Miao Jun truly admired such a person who remained true to her principles, so her attitude was particularly sincere: “Since Chang Le’s coronation, internal affairs have become increasingly complex, and our territory continues to expand. I cannot handle the duties of a State Preceptor myself. If I could have Madam Yu’s assistance in managing New Xia’s fortunes, it would be my great fortune.”

Inviting Yu Hai Zhen to be State Preceptor had initially been just a pretense for Yun Ya, but the more she thought about it, the more feasible it seemed. From any perspective, Yu Hai Zhen was indeed the best candidate for New Xia’s State Preceptor.